No more compromise with the Lords of Materialism

“The age of the three poisons has dawned
And the three lords of materialism have seized power.
The dharma is used for personal gain
And the river of materialism has burst its banks.”
-Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, The Sadhana of Mahamudra

It is time for progressives to stop compromising. We are in a situation where most of the world, despite at their innate core being basically good human beings, are deeply misguided by cultural, political, and corporate forces that are lost in the depths of ideological bankruptcy. They are wailing in the darkness, fearfully attacking common sense and empathy like scared animals. They are causing great harm. They are the deniers of informed reality: the reality of greed, the reality of equality, the reality of science, the reality of history, the reality of oppression and war, and the reality of nature. It seems that the only reason reality deniers continue to have such a strong grasp on the mass psyche and will is that those who would stand up for progress and truth have such a shameful history of selling out, compromising, and ultimately, giving up. Compromise may have been skillful means in the past, but no more. It is the age of the barbarian hordes and time is of the essence. We must liberate ourselves from our intellectual and spiritual shackles and laziness, and reject the notion that embracing lies is ok because of some false paradigm that gives lies and truth the same value because they are “opposing views.” Reality does not need to placate delusion. The flat world barbarians must be removed from power. This can’t be done through force or manipulation, but only through example, determination, fearlessness, and truly wise and compassionate leadership. This always seems like the long road, but sparks catch fire, tides turn, and microscopic evolutionary mutations change the biology of entire planets. It is time for humanity to mutate towards true progress. Action must be joined by meditation, just as wisdom must be joined by compassion.

The world needs more scientists in power. Too many lawyers, too many business men. The world needs more Buddhists in power. Too many important decisions are made by people with no concept of Right View or interdependence. The world needs more indigenous leaders in power, because that is how humans lived for over 95% of our history and the wisdom of our ancestors and the earth should never be disregarded. It is who we are, however removed from it some of us may be. We must not forget ourselves.